Loading and transportation equipment



Sept. 13, 1966 FREN| LOADING AND TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 8, 1964 Fig. la

INVENTOR. e In zeil er/o BYz Sept. 13, 1966 L FREN| LOADING AND TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 8, 1964 Fig. 2 b

Sept. 13, 1966 L. FRENI 3,272,357

LOADING AND TRANSPORTATiON EQUIPMENT Filed July 8, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 3 5 35 Sept. 13, 1966 FREN| 3,272,335?

LOADING AND TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT Filed July 8, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 6

United States Patent 3,272,357 LOADING AND TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT Letterio Freni, Montevecchio, Cagliari, Italy, assignor to Atlas Copco Aktiebolag, Nacka, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed July 8, 1964, Ser. No. 381,005 4 Claims. (Cl. 214--41) This invention relates to loading and transportation equipment comprising in combination a plurality of cars forming a train and adapted to be fi-lled with material, such as blasted rock, ore, coal, or the like, and means for loading said cars. One object of the invention is to increase the efficiency of a loading machine cooperating with said train by increasing the time during which said machine is in effective operation. Another object of the invention is to provide equipment including a loading machine having a magazine and in which the operation of said loading machine and the emptying of said magazine is synchronized with the operation of the train and loading of the various cars of the train. For the above and other purposes I provide loading and transportation equipment comprising in combination a plurality of cars adapted to be filled with material and provided with conplings for connecting the cars to form a train, side walls on said cars, rail elements associated with said side walls to form a track portion on each car, connecting rail elements of variable effective length for connecting said track portions of adjacent cars to form a continuous track on the train, a track ramp with a low substantially horizontal track portion and an inclined track portion adapted to connect said low track portion with a track portion on one of said cars to form a continuous track from said low track portion and all along the train, a skip provided with wheels for movement on said continuous track from a material receiving position on said low track portion to a material discharge position on any of the cars of the train, power means for moving said loaded skip along the continuous track from said low material receiving position to a discharge position on any of the cars of the train, and power operated bottom opening means on said skip adapted to enable material in the skip to be discharged into one of said cars of the train. The said transportation and loading equipment is preferably combined with a loading means adapted for filling said skip when on said low track portion, preferably an over head shove-l loader having a tiltable magazine. In the accompanying drawings one embodiment of a loading and transportation equipment according to the invention is illustrated by way of example. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment but may be modified in several different ways within the scope of the claims.

In the drawings FIGS. 1a and 1b are a side view of one embodiment of the loading and transportation equipment according to the invention provided in a tunnel. FIGS. 2a and 2b are a plan view of the loading and transportation equipment according to FIGS. 1a and b. FIG. 3 is a side view on a larger scale of a skip used in connection with the equipment according to FIGS. 1a and b and 2a and b. FIG. 4 is an end view of the skip and partial transverse section with bottom lids of the skip in closed position. FIG. 5 is an end view of the skip and partial transverse section with the bottom lids in open position. FIG. 6 is a side view and FIG. 7 a plan view of connecting rail elements which provide connection between track portions on adjacent cars. FIG. 8 is a side view similar to FIG. 6 in which the connecting rail elements are separated. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of two adjacent car ends with the connecting rail elements in position for being moved together and connected.

The loading and transportation equipment illustrated in the drawings comprises a self-loading mine dumper 1, a train of mine cars 2, a ramp car 3, a low track portion 4, a travelling skip 5 movable on the low track portion, the ramp and the track portions on the mine cars. A hauling car 6 is provided at the end of the train opposite the ramp car 3. All cars are are coupled together to a train in conventional way. The mine dumper is of the type which has a shovel 7 swingable from a low loading or digging position to a raised discharge position in which the shovel discharges material into a receptacle 8 which in conventional way may be raised or tilted by a power cylinder (not illustrated) provided under the receptacle to the position illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. la in which the material in the receptacle is discharged through an opening at the rear end of the receptacle. In elevated position of the receptacle the material in the receptacle is discharged by gravity into the skip 5 located on the substantially horizontal track portion 4. The side walls 9 of the mine cars 2 are provided at their upper edges with rails 10 forming track portions on top of each car 2. The track portions on the cars are connected by rail elements 11 which form connections of adjustable length between the rail portion 10 on top of the cars. Said rail connecting elements are illustrated in detail and described together with FIGS. 69. The rails 10 on the car 2 adjacent the mine dumper 1 are connected by connecting rail elements 11 to inclined rails 12 which are carried by the ramp car 3 on a frame work 13 formed by channels and other suitable members carried by the car 3. The inclined rails 12 form an inclined track portion and are connected to substantially horizontal rails forming the low track portion 4. The track portion 4 together with the rails 12, 10 and the connecting rail portions 11 form a continuous track from the low track portion 4 to the track on top of the various cars permitting the skip 5 to be moved from the portion 4 all along the train.

The hauling car is provided with a hauling gear 14 which may be a compressed air driven winch with two drums drivable in opposite directions. The drum 15 is provided with a cable 16 which runs over a roller 31 and the tops of the cars to the skip 5 to which it is connected at 17. The second drum 18 is provided with a cable 19 which is carried over the axles of the car wheels and connected to the skip 5 at 20. The hauling car 6 is also provided with a traction motor 21 by means of which the whole train may be moved on the track 22 in the tunnel 32.

The mine dumper 1 collects blasted rock or ore or other material 23 and loads it onto the receptacle 8 while in horizontal position illustrated in full lines in FIG. 101. When the receptacle 8 is full the mine dumper 1 moves from the working front to the skip 5 and the contents of the receptacle 8 is then discharged into the skip by gravity. For this purpose the receptacle 8 may be tilted to the position illustrated in FIG. 1a in dotted lines by means of a power cylinder provided under the receptacle 8 and arranged to lift the receptacle to the position illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. la. The receptacle 8 is swingable on an axis 24 and simultaneously with the swinging of the receptacle to discharge position a lid 25 which covers the rear end of the receptacle 8 is swung automatically to open position which may be achieved by the same type of mechanism as illustrated in my US. Patent 2,818,983, details 51, 48 or 71, 68. Preferably the volume of the receptacle 8 should be about the same as the volume of the skip 5.

When the skip is full or when the receptacle 8 has been emptied the skip is moved along the tracks 4, 12, 10 to an empty car 2 by means of the hauing gear 14 and the cable 16 which pulls the skip along the track over the train. Simultaneously the cable 19 is pulled from the idle drum 18 and the skip pulls the cable 19 over a sheave or roller 26 along the train. When the skip had reached the desired car 2, bottom lids in the skip described in detail below in connection with FIGS. 3 5 are opened. For this purpose compressed air is supplied to a lid operating power cylinder 27 provided at the side of the skip, for instance by opening a valve 28 provided in a compressed air network 29 and supplying compressed air to the power cylinder 27 through a hose 30. Naturally the valve 28 may be provided near the hauling gear 14 so that the power cylinder can be operated from the same place as the hauling gear 14. Preferably the volume of the skip may be a simple fraction of the volume of each mine car 2 so that, for instance, two or three skips fill one car 2. The length of the skip may, furthermore, be slightly less than the length of the cars 2 so that the cars 2 can be well filled and, furthermore, by opening the bottom of the skip all along the skip a short skip is obtained which re duces the length of the whole equipment and makes possible the use of rather steep and short ramps 12. When the skip has been emptied into a car 2, the hauling gear 14 is reversed and then pulls the cable 19 on the drum 18 and leaves the drum 15 running idle so that the skip can be pulled on to the ramp 12 from which it runs down to the track portion 4 by gravity.

The skip 5 illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 consists of side frame members 33 carrying traction wheels 34 by means of which the skip 5 may roll on the track portion 4 and the tracks formed by the rails 12 and on the ramp and the cars of the train. The frame members 33 carry a sheet steel receptacle or cage 35 provided with inclined bottom walls 36 extending along the whole length of the skip and forming between them an opening 37 extending along the whole length of the skip. The opening 37 may be closed by two lids 38, 39 carried by arms 40, 41, respectively, at both ends of the skip, said arms being journalled for swinging to the sides of the skip on bolts 42, 43 secured in the end walls of the receptacle 35. The arms 40, 41 have fixedly secured thereon toothed segments 44, 45, respectively, which mesh together and thereby synchronize the movements of the arms 40, 41 and the lids 38, 39. The power cylinder 27 which is secured to one of the side frames 33 has a piston and piston rod assembly 46 movable therein in vertical direction and operated by compressed air supplied through the hose 30 to the power cylinder. The piston and piston rod assembly 46 carries a yoke 47 which through a pair of cables 48 carried over rollers 49 is connected to the lid 39 at 56. It is obvious from the above description of the skip that, when compressed air is supplied through the hose 30 to the power cylinder 27, the piston and piston rod 46 pulls the cables 48 and simultaneously the lid 39 to one side of the skip, as illustrated in FIG. 5, and through the action of the synchronizing toothed segments 44, 45 the other lid 38 is simultaneously moved towards the other side of the skip 5 so that the opening 37 at the bottom of the skip is uncovered permitting the material in the skip to be discharged through the opening 37 by gravity. It is also obvious that due to the fact that the lids 38, 39 extend over the whole length of the skip a skip is obtained which is very short and which, when opened, can empty its contents in a mine car or the like of substantially the same length as the skip.

The rail connections 11 indicated diagrammatically in FIGS. 1a and b and 2a and b are illustrated in detail on a larger scale in FIGS. 69. Each rail connection consists of a member 51 which is slidable within a channel member 10 welded or otherwise secured to the side wall 9 of the car 2 and forming a rail along the top of each side wall 9. The rail members 51 are provided with longitudinal slots 52 which are guided on pins 53 secured in the channel members 10. The rail members 51 can obviously slide a limited distance longitudinally in the rail members 10 on the pins 53. The free ends of the rail members 51 carry hinge members 54, 55, respectively,

which are pivoted on horizontal pivots 56, 57 secured in the hinge members 54, 55 and journalled in lips 58 formed by the rail members 51. The hinge members 54, 55 form together a hinge permitting the members 51 to swing horizontally on a vertical pivot 59 which is loosely inserted in the eye portions 60, 61 of the hinge members 54, 55. FIG. 8 shows the hinge members disconnected and FIG. 9 shows two adjacent car ends with the rail connection in position for being moved together and connected. Since the rail connections 11 within the limits set by the length of the slots 52 are movable longitudinally in the rail portions 10 it would be obvious that the train cars may be connected and form a continuous track for the skip even if the track 22 should be more or less curved horizontally and/ or vertically.

The loading and transportation equipment above described and illustrated in the drawings should only be considered as an example and may be modified Within the scope of the claims without departing from the invention. The illustrated loader may naturally be replaced by other shovel loaders or by scrapers or loaders comprising belt or scraper conveyors.

What I claim is:

1. A loading and transportation equipment comprising, a plurality of cars adapted to be filled with material, couplings connecting the cars to form a train, side walls on the cars, rail elements associated with said side walls to form a track portion for each car, connecting means for joining the track portions of adjacent cars to form a continuous track on the train, said connecting means comprising two first rail pieces guided for longitudinal movement a limited distance relative to the respective car side, two second rail pieces each constituting an extension of the first rail pieces and hingedly connected to said first rail pieces on horizontal hinge axes, and said second rail pieces of adjacent cars forming together a hinge with a vertical axis, a track ramp composed of a low horizontal track portion and an inclined track portion connecting the low track portion 'with the track portion on one of the cars to thereby form a continuous track from said low track portion to all of the connected track portions of the cars, a skip having wheels for movement along the connected tracks from a material-receiving position on the low track portion to a material-discharge position of any of the cars of the train, power means for moving the loaded skip along the connected track portions from said low material-receiving position to a discharge position of any of the cars of the train, and power-operated bottomopening means on the skip adapted to enable material in the skip to 'be discharged into one of said cars of the train upon opening by said opening means.

2. The equipment according to claim 1, in which said hinge with vertical axis has a removable hinge bolt for separation of the adjacent car rails during train movement and car shifting.

3. A loading and transportation equipment comprising, a plurality of connected cars forming a train and adapted to be filled, horizontal track elements located along the opposite sides of each car near the top thereof, universal joints coupling the track elements of one car to the track elements of adjacent cars to thereby form continuous track elements along the connected cars, one of the cars having a ramp consisting of a pair of tracks joining those on the said car, the tracks of the ramp having an inclined part extending downwardly and terminating in a low horizontal portion, a skip for traveling the rails and means for moving the same along the tracks to position it on the low horizontal portion thereof for loading while the said skip is disposed horizontally, and to bring the skip up the inclined part of the ramp tracks and dispose it in a horizontal dumping position over the top of one or the other of the cars in the train, the skip being disposed in a level, horizontal position both while being loaded and while engaged in dumping its contents into one or the, other of the cars.

4. A mine loading and transportation equipment comprising a plurality of mine cars adapted to be fitted with mineral material, coupling connecting said cars to form a train, side walls on said cars, rail elements associated with said side Walls to form a track portion on each of said mine cars, a ramp car having an inclined track portion leading from the ground level to the level of said mine car track portions and having connected thereto a ground level track portion, connecting rail elements of variable effective length for interconnecting said mine car track portions and said inclined track portion to form a continuous track all along the train, said connecting elements also including universal joints, a skip provided with wheels for movement from said ground level track portion over said inclined track portion and over said mine car track portions all along the train with the skip wheels running on said continuous track from a low material receiving position on the ground level track portion to a material discharge postion on any of said mine car track portions, power means for moving said skip on the continuous track, and power operated bottom-opening means on the skip adapted to swing apart sideways to form an opening through which the material will be discharged into one of said mine cars.

References Cited by the Examiner MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LOADING AND TRANSPORTING EQUIPMENT COMPRISING, A PLURALITY OF CARS ADAPTED TO BE FILLED WITH MATERIAL, COUPLINGS CONNECTING THE CARS TO FORM A TRAIN, SIDE WALLS ON THE CARS, RAIL ELEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SIDE WALLS TO FORM A TRACK PORTION FOR EACH CAR, CONNECTNG MEANS FOR JOINING THE TRACK PORTIONS OF ADJACENT CARS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS TRACK ON THE TRAIN, SAID CONNECTING MEANS COMPRISING TWO FIRST RAIL PIECES GUIDED FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT A LIMITED DISTANCE RELATIVE TO THE RESPECTIVE CAR SIDE, TWO SECOND RAIL PIECES EACH CONSTITUTING AN EXTENSION OF THE FIRST RAIL PIECES AND HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST RAIL PIECES ON HORIZONTAL HINGE AXES, AND SAID SECOND RAIL PIECES OF ADJACENT CARS FORMING TOGETHER A HINGE WITH A VERTICAL AXIS, A TRACK RAMP COMPOSED OF A LOW HORIZONTAL TRACK PORTION AND AN INCLINED TRACK PORTION CONNECTING THE LOW TRACK PORTION WITH THE TRACK PORTION ON ONE OF THE CARS TO THEREBY FORM A CONTINUOUS TRACK FROM SAID LOW TRACK PORTION TO ALL OF THE CONNECTED TRACK PORTIONS OF THE CARS, A SKIP HAVING WHEELS FOR MOVEMENT ALONG THE CONNECTED TRACKS FROM A MATERIAL-RECEIVING POSITION ON THE LOW TRACK PORTION TO A MATERIAL-DISCHARGING POSITION OF ANY OF THE CARS OF THE TRAIN, POWER MEANS FOR MOVING THE LOADED SKIP ALONG THE CONNECTED TRACK PORTIONS FROM SAID LOW MATERIAL-RECEIVING POSITION TO A DISCHARGE POSITION OF ANY OF THE CARS OF THE TRAIN, AND POWER-OPERATED BOTTOMOPENING MEANS ON THE SKIP ADAPTED TO ENABLE MATERIAL IN THE SKIP TO BE DISCHARGE INTO ONE OD SAID CARS OF THE TRAIN UPON OPENING BY SAID OPENING MEANS. 